The Queen's Reign Ends
by The Gentleman Hunter
Summary: The kingdom of the Reefborn is destroyed by a rebelling Fallen House of Wolves, leaving the Queen stranded and the fates of the other Awoken unknown. It is up to the Guardian Felix and his fireteam members to help the Queen find her people and rebuild her kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

Rustling. That's all it was. The light noise of something trying to move silently through the brush. Than the rustling stopped. Only to be replaced by the familiar buzz of a charging weapon. These two small, distinct noises are what made me snap my eyes open, only to see the glowing blue barrel of a Fallen Vandal's rifle.

"Shit." Was all the half-awake me could get out before my face was blasted in, the Fallen celebrating their easy kill with alien cheers and wild shots of their pistols and rifles. But it their moment of celebration, my Ghost had been repairing my corpse, my sight returning first, so I had already begun planning my attack.

"Get 'em Felix." Were the words uttered by the small robot as I drew my knife and sliced upward, cutting along a Dreg's spine. The sight of their brother falling dead at their feet was answered by firing everything they had at me.

"Ok, I should have thrown my grenade" I admitted, cursing myself as I flipped backwards over the box that I had been laying against, desperate for some rest after hours of searching and fighting, I had fallen asleep on the spot. I had my auto rifle in my hand before even hitting the ground. I grunted from the quick movement so soon after revive. As I spun out from behind cover, the enraged aliens began reloaded their weapons. Bad timing for them. Their vengeful anger soon turned to fear, as all but one of the hideous creatures were mowed down by my powerful weapon, a gun that I aptly named Atheon's Epilogue after defeating a powerful Vex machine, almost like their deity, with it. That had been a fun day, that was my second time killing a god. I nonchalantly discarded my old ammo clip, slamming the new round of shots into the gun, grinning to myself, a bit of a bloodlust taking over me. As I looked up, a chuckle escaped my lips at the final Fallen's feeble attempt at sprinting away from me, the Guardian that probably looked like a blood-splattered demon. I quickly put my gun into my other hand, grabbed my newly bloodied knife from it's sheath in a fluid pull, and in one smooth move, spun it in my hand, aimed quickly, and threw. It all happened in seconds, and probably looked pretty fricking badass. I had accounted for everything; the wind, the speed of the running Dreg, the vines his blade would need to slice through, and my quick, Warlock-level calculation had paid off. It struck the fleeing creature directly in the back of the skull, possibly with enough force to let the tip emerge from between it's eyes. I would check later. I turned around quickly, my eyes sweeping across the Ishtar Sink, the region of Venus I was exploring, making sure no reinforcements were near, than I firmly gripped my gun in my hands as I put my habit of checking the corpses for any valuable items, most importantly, engrams, into practice. A slightly rare engram was the only thing I found on those bodies, green in color, it could get me an alright price from Rahool, I mean, I did still have a reputation of always bringing good gear back to the Tower to uphold.

"That could have gone better," sighed ny Ghost, it's voice sounding annoyed, it was hard to tell with him, "They killed you before you even woke up."

I groaned in exasperation.

"C'mon, it was one time, and you know I haven't gotten much sleep recently."

"You still always need to be on your guard" Chided the Ghost, almost parentally

"Who'd you get that from? Shaxx?" I chuckled at my joke as I jogged over to retrieve my knife from the dead Dreg. Lord Shaxx was always chastising us Guardians for making mistakes, despite how annoying it was for everyone, honestly, I think he just wanted to tick us off.

"No, I'm just saying..."

"You're just saying that you're being a downer, apology excepted. Now look, I did get the poor bastard between the eyes! That's pretty impressive, even for me." I turned the corpse over as my Ghost went silent, examining the thin slit between the eyes of the Dreg, the blue paint on his helmet speckled with blood.

"Wait... Blue? That means these guys were with the House of Wolves. But the Queen controls the Wolves..." I growled angrily, I didn't exactly have strong feelings for the Queen of the Reef, not counting the attraction I had toward her, I mean, she's was pretty, and her "better-than-you" attitude was like she was playing hard to get. But that didn't matter, she had sent the Fallen after me, and boy, did I want to know why.

My Ghost chuckled, the sound was still strange in my head, robotic, but human and warm at the same time.

"So, is your little crush suspected of attempted murder now?"

"Well, they did kill me. And who'd you know? I don't tell you anything" The Ghost begins to talk but falters as I am teleported up to orbit, my ship's cockpit replacing the green of Venus.

"I monitor your vitals, your heart rate went up when we were there, but it was a different spike than fear, so I made an assumption."

"You're one freaky little bot, you know that?" I chuckle, removing my helmet, watching it dematerialize in my hands, sent to wherever my Sparrow and other weapons are sent when I'm not using them. I don't know the details of how all of this works, despite the best efforts of Jaeger, my Warlock friend, who tried and failed to get me to understand.

My Ghost appears near me, his small pieces spinning around his core as he looked at me.

"But what will we do with her?"

"I don't know, maybe it was a misunderstanding and the Fallen were acting under a rising leader in their ranks." I suggested, realizing this could be the real answer.

"You just wanna see her don't you?" Interrogated my Ghost.

"No! I just wanna be sure... You can tell if she's lying right? Watching her vitals and all?" I stuttered nervously, changing the subject.

"Maybe, it depends on how close I am."

"Ok..." We sat in silence as we jumped into hyperdrive, the Ghost monitoring the radio frequencies. Finally, he turned to an unknown channel, and a loud alarm burst through the ship's radio.

"Ah! Turn it down!" I groan, sure my eardrums were about to pop. My Ghost turned off the volume, my helmet appearing on my head, and my Ghost quickly debriefing me.

"It's a distress beacon from the Queen, the Fallen have turned against her, and her palace was overrun, she needs immediate assistance as her ship is damaged."

"Holy shit, the Awoken lost?"

"Apparently so" I turned over what to do in my mind, we could aid the fight against the Fallen at her palace, but the Queen might die. But if he want for her, more people would die, and he couldn't take the palace till a later day.

"Oh goddamn... Where's her ship? And can we fit two people in here? If only for the short jump?" I groaned, this was gonna be awkward.

"Heh, it would be fine if she sat in cargo, she'd be a little banged up, but she would live. Oooor, she can sit on your lap." Teased my Ghost, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Seriously Ghost, where can she sit and be safe?" I was growling again, annoyed with his teasing.

"I was serious about your lap, the bay isn't big enough for a person, just some gear." I groaned again, but sighed and realized it's gonna happen.

"Get us a comm link with her, and find her ship. I wanna be out of here ASAP. And Ghost? Shut up when we're talking." I said, letting a bit of my annoyance slip, which I shouldn't have.

"Alright. Setting up comms now." I can't tell if I hurt his feelings or not, but at this point, I didn't care. Static crackled over my helmet's comms, a soft, smooth voice filling my ears.

"Who is this? If you are an ally of the Reef, assist me at once, you will be rewarded." I silently curse, I can't believe this.

"Hey there Your Majesty, I'm the Guardian Felix Stanley, I'm here to help. Is your ship capable of making a short jump to Earth?" The Queen sighed in annoyance, sounding all high and mighty. It made me gulp nervously.

"No, I cannot make a jump. I am not as helpless as I may look Guardian, I understand how to work a ship."

"I'm Felix, don't call me Guardian." Once again she sighed, not even trying to hold in her annoyance.

"Do not push me... Felix, you were interesting to me once, I may not be as generous now. Now, how will we get to Earth?"

"Well, if you can't jump, you'll need to get on my ship." Or ships pulled into view of each other, and I finally saw what was left of her palace, a torn up wreck of metal and rock, maybe it was a good idea to come for her, especially since the Fallen were now leaving.

"How am I going to get into your ship?"

"My Ghost can teleport you, but you may not enjoy the seat that you'll be given"

"And why is that?"

"It's gonna have to be... my lap." I breathe deeply in embarrassment, my cheeks burning redder than Mars.

"I see... It seems I was correct when I said you were interesting. And my dear brother wanted me to kill you, even when you had a debt to pay to me."

"I know that I owe you, but when you come to the Tower, you won't be living like a Queen, so you may have to cash in that favor another time."

"I see, well, we shouldn't delay. Have your Ghost get me aboard, and than we shall be on our way." motion for Ghost to board her ship. Him being even that far away, barely a kilometer, felt strange, he was in my mind, and he had to leave temporarily, leaving me feeling a little bit empty.

"I can't believe I'm doing this... I can't let people know that the Queen is staying at the Tower..." I let out a gasp as a weight suddenly appeared on me, not heavy at all, but I wasn't prepared for anything yet. I run my eyes up the Queen's purple and gold clad back, the decorative pieces of metal and fur were off, leaving her in only the skin-tight suit. Her white hair hand just past her shoulders, and it was as big and shaggy as ever. Her warmth lay against me, completely relaxed, as if I were a chair.

"Hello Guardian," she paused for half of a second, a shadow of a smile crossed her face. It was probably a trick of the light, "I am not extremely pleased with the seating, but it will do." She looks back at me, smiling mysteriously, almost curiously.

"Let us go." I nod to my Ghost, and he begins our trip home.

I sink onto the sofa in my quarters, the Queen looks around my room, face blank as usual.

"So you live here?"

"Yes, this is my room. The bathroom is through there," I point at the door on the right side of the room, "the kitchen is there," I point at the far side of the room, the small area with a stove and sink out in the open, "and the bed." I point at the two-person bed next to the front door. She cautiously sat down on the bed.

"This is all?"

"Yup."

"You live quite simply Guardian, though everyone lives simply in the eyes of a queen." She was silent for a while longer, looking at the floor. Something was bothering her, as I was about to ask, she had practically read my mind.

"I'm afraid that my brother may not have survived the battle, he ran off to fight after delivering me to my ship." I look at her, sitting straight now. Being totally honest, I wouldn't mind if the guy had died, he was a first-rate asshole. But I wouldn't say that to her face, obviously.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty, but I don't see how anyone could survive that. The Fallen eradicated your palace."

"I know, but I will continue to hope that some of my people survived." She went silent again, her face downtrodden, more emotion than I'd ever seen her show.

"Do you have a shower?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom. Towels are in the cabinet on the right of the door." She stood slowly and walked past me, stopping at the bathroom door.

"Thank you for helping me Guar... Felix..." She smiled slightly, making my heart flutter a bit. I watched her walk in and turn the water on. I sighed and rested my head back, laying my arm over my eyes. After a while of waiting, I yelled out to the Queen.

"I have to go to the Tower Hub, you stay here, ok? I just need to turn in some jobs and buy some ammo, I'm running a little low for my rocket launcher." I waited for a second, making sure she heard me, than added, "I'm also gonna get my fireteam, I need to fill them in on what's happening. I could get my friend to borrow some of her old armor, she's a Warlock, so it's not to cramped into armor." I wait longer, than here her yelling back,

"Alright, make sure not inform anyone that I used your shower, understood?"

"Yeah, you got it." Than, I smile in spite of myself, maybe this isn't such a bad thing.

Ok guys, I'm new to the site, so give me a ton of feedback, I'm almost done with Chapter 2, so you won't need to wait long. If you want it bad enough, I'll consider making a special Felix+Queen chapter. Thanks a lot guys


	2. Chapter 2

I took up my helmet, a lightweight piece of hardware I had gotten from the Dead Orbit faction that always hung out in the Hangar. After having my Ghost summon my Gjallahorn rocket launcher from the "Storage Universe", or at least that's what I call it, I headed out of my room. The Ghallahorn is an extremely rare, extremely powerful weapon made for the few survivors of the Twilight Gap, I found mine, hidden deep in the Grottos with the Hive, I took it, and I have a special connection to it. I flip back my cloak's hood, my helmet in one hand, Gjallahorn under my other arm, it has special ammo, so I need to bring it to the Gunsmith first. To my good luck, my teammate Cyrus is there, talking to Banshee as usual.

"Aw, c'mon, how hard would it be to get Xur to give you some guns, almost no one is over here anymore man. I'm just looking out for you." I smile to myself, leaning against the big tree nearby to hear how this is gonna end. Cyrus has never been lucky at finding things while out in the wilds, so he constantly tries to find ways to get things easier. In this case, it sounds like he's trying to get Banshee to get weapons from Xur, this guy, well... thing, that sells us rare gear and weapons for the weird coins, and sell them for Glimmer, since he never finds any of the coins.

"No, I sell Tower made items, not something one of the Nine brought." Everyone knows about the Nine, secretive people that have access to secrets and powerful items, but no one really knows anything else.

"But that's your problem, you don't wanna sell what people want to get, and than you don't sell anything!" Cyrus threw his arms up, emphasizing his point, he's a very dramatic person. I grin as I walk up to the booth, placing my hand on Cyrus' shoulder, and Gjallahorn on the table.

"Hey guys. Cyrus, stop harassing Banshee, I'll let you have some of those coins, next time I find some." Banshee chuckles, a robotic sounds, almost like rusty bells clanging.

"Thank you Felix, this kid will just never learn that he needs to work for stuff. Want me to fill her up?"

"And three extra shells, thanks Banshee."

"Of course." I turn to Cyrus as Banshee went to his little safe, he only keeps special ammo clips in there, they're useful on the field and are easy to use. I look Cy in the eyes, than hit him in the gut.

"What have we said Cyrus?" Cyrus gasps, dramatic as usual, I only hit him hard enough to just bruise,

"Don't be an ass..."

"Right, now man, I'm sorry, but we need to get the others. Any idea where they are? It's important." He looks at me, more serious now, as a look of confusion passes along his face.

"They're at the Hangar, talking with Holliday about getting Jagger a new Sparrow. According to Andrew, he crashed his old one and it fell into the Hellmouth, his Ghost couldn't even summon a piece of it."

God. He was stupid. Jagger was a Warlock, a smart guy, but despite his intelligence, he was an idiot, always doing stupid things and ending up having to pay for it. This one time, we were all engaged in battle against a Vex Templar and a ton of smaller minions, actually on our way to fight the aforementioned Atheon, when he suddenly blared random noises that he had recorded while out on missions. That blast of random noise, and the confusion and disorientation that came with it, caused Andrew to lose focus and get killed by a Minotaur. Thank God for our Ghost's ability to revive us, or I would have lost a good friend. I chuckle to myself and put my arm over Cyrus' shoulders

"Sorry for hitting you man, that wasn't cool."

"No, it wasn't," he replied, grinning despite my playful attack, "what exactly do you need us all for man?" He looks at me, knowing something was wrong. Cyrus was a Hunter like me and Andrew, and he had a keen eye. In battle, and for people's emotions and body language.

"I'll tell you when everyone gets together, all I can say here, is that it's insanely important." We stop talking for the time being, walking in silence as we head through the hall to the enormous Hangar. The Hangar was an enormous place, the docking station taking up over one half of the room, the rest was taken up by the recruitment centers of the Dead Orbit and Future War Cult factions, the booth where the robotic Vanguard quartermaster sold the powerful weapons crafted in the Tower, and finally, the shop of Amanda Holliday, the Tower's one-and-only shipwright. Amanda was a cool woman, smart and good with machines. She often asked for Guardians to fetch rare parts for her from the wilds, and sometimes rewarded large amounts of effort and pieces with a new Sparrow, or far less often, a new ship. But at this moment, Amanda was not a happy woman, and the obvious cause was Jagger. The Warlock looked like he was about to piss himself as the blonde shipwright yelled in his face, something about "an irresponsible idiot", and "how hard it was to construct Sparrows". Andrew was off to the side with Alyssa, he was a tall Hunter that specialized in combat with scout rifles and was a great warrior. He, like Cyrus, was really unlucky with his loot findings in the wilds, only just getting enough of those Strange Coins to buy his first weapon from Xur. And boy, he was annoyed when I found Gjallahorn in the Grottos, convinced that he had been cursed by Xur to forever be unlucky, and all because Andrew often went to talk to the mysterious man without being able to make a purchase. As he watched Holliday let rip on Jagger, he whispered to Alyssa, and like the guy that was being yelled at, she was a Warlock, a true master at manipulating Solar energy. She is kind and warm, a real people person. She and I had a relationship a while ago, but we broke up mutually because we though dating within the team was a bad idea. We don't hold anything against each other, but at times, it is a little awkward. I looked at Cyrus, who tried to stifle his laughs, with little success.

"As much as we both love this Cy, I think we're gonna have to intervene."

"Awe, c'mon, let's watch just a little longer." I chuckle at my friend, but walk towards the enraged Holliday. I can hear her words more clearly now, and I smile as I piece together the conversation.

"Than you go and dump your Sparrow into the Hellmouth?! This is the third new one you've needed in the past six months! What we you trying to do? Jump it again?!" You could practically see the steam coming from her ears as Jagger replied sheepishly.

"I didn't try to jump it this time, I saw that didn't work the first time I needed a new one... I was trying to hit a Knight into the pit..." He looked down, eyes squinted shut as I ran up before Amanda could belt him again. I put my arm on Jagger's shoulder and pushed him behind me.

"Sorry Amanda! He was an idiot, so please, give him one for chance? I will personally make sure he doesn't screw up again." I can see Holliday calm down, thinking as she considered what I said. I always felt like she had a soft spot for me, she always got off of Jagger when I came to help. She smiled half-heartedly at me, than came to her decision.

"Fine, I won't flay him alive this time, since you asked nicely. But since he's your responsibility, next time he destroys one of his vehicles, both of you will be cleaning every ship that comes through here for the next month!" Ok, maybe she doesn't have a soft spot for me.

"You got it Mandy," I smiled, using the nickname she likes, "It will not happen again. Right man?"

I nudge Jagger forward and he walks up to Amanda.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"It better not, sorry for exploding, now it looks like Felix wants to talk to the three of you." She smiles at me, a nice, genuine smile, and I return it before saying my goodbyes and walking back to Cyrus, my fireteam in tow. Once we make it back to the main balcony, I stop in the grass and turn to my friends.

"Ok guys, something's up. And you all need to know."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Queen's Reign Ends

"Holy shit!"

I looked over my friends faces, Andrew and Cyrus's tanned, human faces. The smooth, ice-blue skin that I am so used to seeing on few but Alyssa. And the hard metal, the moving pieces of Jagger's face as he shows emotion. I did it, I dropped the bomb.

"Are you kidding with us man? You've got to be joking." Andrew was in awe, he hadn't seen it, so he couldn't believe it, the giant palace we had seen, the kingdom that the Awoken had built. It was all gone.

"I swear to the Traveller I'm not joking, I saw it with my own eyes. The palace was gone. Eradicated. Obliterated. All that was left when I got there was debris." More looks of shock, my friends didn't want to believe me. I don't know if they were relieved, or terrified. None of them liked the Reefborn, but we knew they were strong, but the Fallen, just one House, destroyed what they had built.

"Come to my room, the Queen is there. She'll want to talk to you. And Alyssa, do you have any extra armor? She needs new clothes." Alyssa nodded mutely, and I saw what looked like a flash of anger on Andrew's face. And I looked to Jagger, who was scowling, but smiled when he noticed me watching him. I would ask about it later. But despite the possible anger I saw on my friend's faces, everyone looked shocked. I knew it was a lot to take in, I nearly had a panic attack on the trip back to Earth. What if the Fallen chose to just attack the City from space? Maybe Rasputin could hold them back in the long run, but if any of the missiles and other orbital weaponry made it to the City, what would happen? Thousands would die, that's a certainty, how could anyone believe we were safe, and not even consider an attack from space? I had sat for a long time while I contemplated that, so long that the Queen asked if something was wrong. She shouldn't be worried about anyone, why did she care? I snapped back into reality as Jagger yelled into my ear.

"Felix! We're here!" I jumped almost three feet off the ground as my attention came back to reality and adrenaline pumped through my veins.

"Dude, what was going on in your head? You look like you saw a ghost." Speaking of Ghosts, mine suddenly appeared in the middle of our group.

"Hello guys. Before I explain my reasons for coming, can I ask what your problem is with Ghosts? And also, Felix is afraid, paranoid of a space assault after what happened in the Reef, you snapped him back into reality with fear, he's hyped up on adrenaline now, his heart rate shot up too. That isn't healthy Felix." I take a deep breath, closing my eyes an trying to steady my heart beat.

"I'll be fine, it was just a scare. Now let's see how we can help the Queen." My friends nod together, looking between each other nervously. The Queen wasn't exactly nice to them last time they were all together, and she seemed to have a personal grudge against Alyssa. We assumed it was because she was an Awoken that left her people, but we aren't sure, we may never be. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"Your Majesty? Are you the... Oh my God..." We all stood, opened mouthed at the sight before us. The Queen sat cross legged on my couch, eating my last tin of extremely hard to get ice cream right from the carton, wearing a loose T-shirt and sweat pants of mine, barefooted, and wet hair and messy from the shower. We gaped as the Queen looked over, than stopped with a spoonful of ice cream halfway between the carton and her mouth. Her eyes filled with shock as we looked at what lay next to her, and I swear, Jagger's jaw hit the floor. Her underwear. Purple with gold designs sat on the couch next to her, right out in the open. Jagger started to giggle, doing his best to stifle it, but he broke and laughed, his loud cackles, the ones he was known for, washed over us, and soon, all of us were laughing, Cyrus even had tears rolling down his cheeks. Oh my, was the Queen furious, she glared with eyes that could stop a Minotaur in it's tracks, but we didn't care. The laughter came and came, soon, we were all on the floor, catching our breaths and trying not to start up again. I was the first to fully recover, and as I stood, I saw the piercing blueish white eyes boring into me, the cold fury behind them. And I gulped, getting ready to be sentenced to death or something, but no anger came. At least not loud anger, which probably would have been better than this.

"If you're all done," the Queen exclaimed coldly, putting emphasis on every syllable, "I'd like to know why you didn't tell me you were coming before I could get ready." Her silent anger instantly sobered us all up, and even Jagger scrambled up and went completely quiet.

"Well, we didn't have any means to contact you. And I thought you would have expected that we were coming back here to plan." The furious Awoken stared at us, than sighed, "I guess I just am not used to being involved in things. I thought you would tell me if someone were coming to see me, I always am told. And also, I never help plan, I leave that to my brother and his strategists, I'm never a part of it." Jagger snorted, than exclaimed how thoughts without any respect, "Ha, Queeny is having Queen problems. We're not your servants, Felix saved your blue ass, and now you owe him. Don't expect us to always listen to you." I stared at him, and he stared back. I didn't realize that his disdain for the Queen ran so deep.

"Listen you foolish, defective robot. I am royalty, you must treat me with respect, or I will have my guards..." She trailed off, realizing her situation and the position she was in.

"You're forgetting that you don't have a kingdom anymore. I don't exactly wanna help, neither do any of us. But we will because it might benefit the City." Jagger gave me the most serious look that I have ever seen him make, his eyes changed from the happy, dark blue I'm used to, do a deep red, anger obvious, even in his robotic sensors.

"Felix, I'm with Jagger, how can you want to help her? When she said those terrible things about Alyssa? I heard those, you didn't turn off your comm." Andrew glared at the Queen, extremely serious. Cyrus looked away, not sure what to do, than he looked up sadly and said,

"I agree with Andrew and Jag, I don't wanna abandon you man. But this... Woman, said terrible things, and sent you alone on a suspected suicide mission. All for her own gain. How can you trust her?" I looked at my friends faces, Jagger and Andrew's faces were set in stone, finally realizing their true feelings about the Queen and her kindom. They had almost no intention of helping. Cyrus looked torn, and it hurt me to see him so confused. But only Alyssa hadn't said anything, she was looking down, her ice-white hair hung around her head. I heard her say softly, her voice filled with both anger and sadness.

"I don't want to help her, at all. But it's what Guardians do, it's our duty. And while I may hate her and everyone she rules over. I'd hate myself even more if I didn't do my job and help her." She looked up, her eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth in an angry snarl. It was unfamiliar to me, and my eyes widened. I saw Cyrus step back, the hatred practically radiated from her. I suddenly felt her anger, all that the Queen said and did was for her benefit. She put all of us in harms way, all so she could grow in power. But like Alyssa said, we can't just abandon her because of our personal hatred. I sighed and took a step towards Alyssa, arms open, a soft smile across my face.

"C'mere. I feel the same, we have to help." The young Warlock rushed forward into my arms, face buried in my neck, her head resting on my shoulder. I felt something cold wash over me as I heard her whisper.

"I won't let her hurt us. I need you four, if any of you are put in danger of permanent harm, I swear, I'll end her..." I nearly gasp in shock. Alyssa has never been this angry and hurt. I squeeze her once, than let go.

"Guys, I'll talk with the Queen, you can go. Sorry for getting you into this." My friends begin to leave, Andrew pats my shoulder as he walks away, Jagger gives the Queen a piercing look, than nods to me.

"See ya Felix"

"I'm sorry Jagger."

"I know, I'm not mad at you, it is our job, but I don't like it." He walks away with Alyssa, who doesn't even look at the me or the Queen. Cyrus is the only one left, and smile sadly and looks at me.

"I'm gonna stay, you're my best friend, and I will stand by your side." I smile. Good old Cyrus, he's always there for me, and I'm always there for him. His tale is a sad one, and no one but us knows it. I look at the Queen, and shock and regret pain her face, her shoulders are slumped, and she stares at the floor, sadness emitting off of her. I put my arm around her and lead her inside, Cyrus tagging along. We sit down on the bed, and I see tears running down her cheeks. Cyrus notices and goes to stand in the kitchen, over looking the City through my window. He's still here, watching over us, even if he gave us space, it's a good vibe for her, letting her know he wants her to be safe. Cyrus is a master at identifying body language, and he can change the mood with his. I lean down a bit, placing a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to mine. The beautiful blue is surrounded by a tinge of red as tears slide down her cheeks. I smile softly and she begins to speak.

"I never meant to hurt them, the loss I've been through has taught me about humility, and I know their pain. I wish I could apologize over a thousand times to each of you, I wish I could have your forgiveness, but I don't know if that's possible anymore. My loss has shown me that I am not better than any other person. I am mortal and frail, my pain brought me other feelings; humility, anger, sadness, regret. I think of my old self, and I remember a cold, selfish, unforgiving person. I don't want to be that person. I want to apologize and ask for forgiveness. So I will begin with you Felix, my savior. I am sorry for bringing so much anger and pain upon you. Could you ever forgive me?" I smile at the woman, wiping away her tears with my thumbs, than brushing her hair out of her face.

"Of course. And I'm sure my friends can too." She than turns to Cyrus, still in my arms, and she says softly.

"Your name is Cyrus, correct?" He turns towards her and flashes his big, friendly grin.

"That's right!" She smiles lightly and begins to speak again.

"I'm so sorry for the anguish I put you through. I'm sorry if I insulted you, and I'm sorry for ever hurting you and your friends. Is it fair to ask for your forgiveness?" Cyrus grins again, nodding.

"It's always fair to ask for forgiveness, and you have mine." I grin as she smiles at me, than hugs me tightly, letting go with a blush. Than she hugs Cyrus, and he blushes as well. She looks between us, light tears running down her cheeks.

"Thank you both, I will not hurt any of you again. And I promise, if I rebuild my kingdom, your City will have an ally, and all will be welcome at my palace." I looked at the woman before me, she wasn't the Queen I had known before. She was happy, and had actual feelings now. The blue of her skin and eyes that I thought were once cold and numbing, were now the blue of the sky, a free, happy color. I grinned as I stood and went to make some food, Cyrus gave me a fist bump as I passed. I look back at my upturned helmet on the bed. The comm light was blinking green. Green meant on.


	4. Chapter 4: Through the Queen's Eyes

Chapter 4: The Queen's Reign Ends

His words helped me, his comforting arms held me tight. I watched as he and his friend cooked, working as a team even there. Best friends don't just work together on the battlefield, they are one in mind and body at all times. I feel myself smile as Cyrus drops a large pan, the noise making Felix, who had his back turned, hop into the air, than playfully smack Cyrus on the back of the head. Than he leans down and hands the pan back to his friend. This sort of love, it was something I had never seen, the love of friends, of brothers in arms and beliefs. I had never felt such a connection with my brother, he was cold and worried about nothing but us, the Reefborn, we who believed that the humans and the Awoken that joined them were lower than us. I was filled with regret, and my smile faded. I looked down at the shirt I had borrowed, Felix's shirt. It was so soft, so warm, just like it's owner, a man that would lay down his life, permanently, if it meant the ones he loved would be safe. I watch the two friends toss pepper back and forth, doing fun little tricks as they played. I was never part of things like that, never allowed to have fun, never allowed to do things for myself. I had an army of servants that answered my beck and call, an army of men and women that were so devoted, I'm sure they'd leap into space for me. But not because of me, not because we had a bond, not because we loved each other. No. It was because of my title, and that title made me feel like I was better than all others, like I could send them to their dooms for my benefit. I had done that to Felix, sent him on a suicide mission for my gain. But it wasn't suicide, he came back, and it was a painful reminder of what I had done. I look at my friend, or at least who I thought was my friend. He grins at me as he slides the eggs and pancakes onto the plates, three plates, one for each of us. Cyrus grabs his, sending another plate falling towards the ground. He catches it though, the food only a bit displaced. He and Felix breathe sighs of relief at the save. Than they turn to me.

"Hey, your Majesty? Are you alright for having an ancient, human breakfast? They're gooood." Felix smiles playfully as he places the plate on the table. I smile at him, the aroma drifting to me.

"Absolutely. I hope these are as good as you say. I'd be severely disappointed if I had to kill you for making a bad meal." The two Guardians looked at each other, than back at me.

"I'm joking." I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. The two friends chuckle.

"Well then, c'mon, oh Queen of Comedy!" Declares Cyrus, putting on his most regal voice. I smile at this, than realize. Maybe I'm not as alone in this City as I had thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Queen's Reign Ends

I smile as Cyrus looks to the Queen to join us. Than he grins, showing her the meal.

"Hey, your Majesty? Are you alright for having an ancient, human breakfast? They're gooood." We watch her, her face turning thoughtful, than she shrugs and makes up her mind.

"Absolutely. I hope these are as good as you say. I'd be severely disappointed if I had to kill you for making a bad meal." My eyes widen, and Cyrus chokes on the water he's drinking. We glance at each other, uneasiness washing over us.

"I'm joking." She sighs and looks down, disappointed in her failure at her first attempt of a joke. We chuckle to break the silence and make it up to her. Than Cyrus stands straight and puffs out his chest.

"Well then, c'mon, oh Queen of Comedy!" The Queen smiles, and stands, walking towards us. As she walks, she seems more free, more alive than I'd ever seen her.

"Happily, it smells amazing." We all sit and begin eating. Cyrus and I don't have this meal often, the ingredients are hard to find, and it's also pretty expensive. But I'm glad we chose now to pull it out, the Queen looked like she was in Heaven, a smile spread across her face, a low noise, almost a moan of pleasure, coming out with every bite. Cyrus laughed at the once cold and emotionless face of the Queen.

"Haha! It looks like nobody's dying today!" The Queen chuckled and after swallowing, answered enthusiastically.

"This is one of the best meals I've had in my life. The meals I had at the palace were exotic, even if they all tasted the same. Like ice. I haven't had a decent meal in so long." Cyrus and I laughed, a warm feeling filled my chest. Oh shit, I know what this is. The only thing that kept me from really falling for the beautiful Awoken. No, don't call her that. The only thing that kept me from falling for her completely, her coldness and lack of emotion, that was gone. She was kind and likable, humbled by our words, and her revelation of how the throne had corrupted her. My Ghost's voice appeared in my head, he sounded worried.

"Felix? You've had an abnormal spike in your vitals. It seems to mostly be in the dopamine sensors in the bra..."

I cut him off, thinking to him.

"I'm fine, really, I just don't wanna be disturbed right now." I groan in my mind. Oh man, what was happening to me?

"Hey, Felix, you ok man?" Cyrus's voice broke through my thoughts, making me quickly force down my thoughts and that warm feeling in my chest. Holy crap, I said that out loud? I felt my face burn a deep red.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm here. Um, sorry guys, I just realized I left Gjallahorn with Banshee. Please excuse me." I grin falsely, and they both know that something is up. I stand quickly, stumbling as nearly knocking over the chair, but I catch it quickly.

"I'm glad you liked the meal your Highness, and I'm sorry to cut short, but I gotta go." I run to the door, grabbing my helmet and stumbling down the hallway.

"Shit, shit, shit..." That is the word that runs through my mind, over and over. I run to the most secluded corner of the Tower I can find, than collapse, a sharp pain in my chest, sweat running down my face, breathing ragged. I tear off my helmet as my Ghost appears near me.

"By the Traveller Felix! What happened to you?! You're vitals were all over the place, and I wanted to come out, but nooooo, you didn't want to be disturbed." I growl at him, the pain rushing from my chest to my stomach, turning into nausea in my gut.

"Not now Ghost! I just need to know what's happening to me! I-is it the heart? P-poison? Old injury?" I gasp again, my chest heaving as I lay against the cold, stone wall. My Ghost shakes itself, chuckling. He seems more and more human all the time, picking up habits like those.

"No, actually. My diagnosis, is that, you may just be in love." My eyes widen as I grab the little robot.

"What? With the Queen? No! That isn't right, I don't feel that way!" Again, my Ghost chuckles, wriggling free from my grip as he continues.

"Well, it seems that you my friend, have a case of the "heart flutters" for the Queen. And this panic attack you're having here, is the aftereffect of your pure happiness that she's a good person now, conflicting with your fear of your feelings." He laughs again, but stops, looking at me.

"You know that won't happen right?"

"Yeah, I know." I admit, calming down as put everything together.

"Shit." Is all I can utter, leaning my head back and resting it on the wall. For the next few minutes, there is only silence. My Ghost floats around me, presumably observing my symptoms. Finally, I stand up, groaning. I begin to walk down the hallway. My Ghost glides over to me, pieces spinning as he wonders what's happening.

"Where are we going?" The little robot asks,"back to the Queen?" I shake my head, putting my helmet back on.

"No, we're going to Old New York, I need a vacation, send a message to the others. I need them to meet me there. Get my weapons into my ship, but bring me Atheon's Epilouge." My Ghost makes a small beeping noise, looking off into space for a second.

"Alright, ready to go when you are." I grin under my helmet, than flip up my cloak's hood. As my gun appears in my hand, I check if it has ammo. Fully loaded. Good.

"Send me up."

I grin at the familiar sensation of being teleported, my body breaking apart, than reforming in the ship. My Ghost boots up the systems, and I feel the powerful engine fire up.

"Next stop, Old New York." Declares my Ghost as we blast off across orbit, going counterclockwise around Earth, the fastest way. I look down over the beautiful landscapes and ocean, the humbling sight of our home planet. I heard that humans used to live on all the continents, even the barren lands of what was called Africa. It's amazing to believe, that after the Traveller appeared, more than half of the human population left Earth to explore the once inaccessible planets in our Solar System. It made me sad to think that after it was there, humans left their beautiful planet for the next new thing. I close my eyes, imagining how the world must have been before the Traveller arrived, the cities and towns, now only dust, covered the land, boats and cars and planes were always taking people from place to place. It must have been much simpler, a simple life, simple needs, a happy life. It made me wonder once again, why anyone would want to make things harder, why would anyone want to leave. I lay my head back against my seat, eyes closed, deep in though. So many things rushed through my mind, it was a whirlwind, a typhoon of thoughts and wonders and confusion. But suddenly, by Ghost softly said,

"By the Traveller... He's using ALL of his brain!" This little exclamation, this little distraction, it snaps me from my world of thoughts. I felt like no time had passed, like I had simply thought for a few minutes. But as I looked at the viewport, I realized we were descending into Old New York. My friends ships bobbed near the surface, dwarfed by the massive wreck that was once the Statue of Liberty, torn in half, the top laying in what was, apparently, once an ocean. I sigh as we fly down, my Ghost analyzing his findings. He must of seen something wrong, even after the Traveller's arrival, we still only used 47% of our brain power. He had to be mistaken, but that would be discussed at a later time. I swallowed the lump in my throat, ready to face my friends.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Queen's Reign Ends

I look at my assembled friends, standing in a semi-circle before me, varying moods between them. Andrew, Jagger, and Alyssa all had their best poker faces on. Cyrus, as usual, was more cheerful, and was already scouting out the faraway city for enemies.

"What did you want us here for Felix?" Andrew was the first to speak after my arrival, he almost always was. I smiled a bit, looking down. But as my eyes raised to meet theirs, instead of a timid smile, I came back up in a mischievous grin. I pushed my helmet onto my head, comms instantly linking.

"Oh, I thought we could have some fun." I have my Ghost summon my Sparrow, and I leap onto it, roaring across the now dry bay. My friends grinned at each other, all summoning their Sparrows as they followed, whooping and cheering in their usual enthusiastic mood. Jagger's voice crackles through my helmet's headset.

"What about the oh-so-sorry Queen?" He seemed to be trying to forget what happened earlier "Did she leave after we disrespected her and her power?" Nope, he was still mad, just not as verbal about it this time.

"Nah, at home, I dunno what she's doing. Cyrus? You were the last one with her." Cyrus cleared his throat, chuckling.

"She went to sleep. On Felix's bed," Oh thank God he didn't mention my little panic attack, "I'm pretty sure I heard her whisper his name as I left." All of team burst out laughing, except me.

"Ass!"

"It's true!" I don't want to, but I join in on my friend's laughter. I nod at Cyrus, grateful for him keeping my secret.

"But really guys," I saw after the laughter died down, "I just wanted us to forget the Queen after all that. Let's just be normal us for now, grab some missions from the beacons, laugh, have fun. Forget about her for a while." I hear Jagger make a small "yup" and then Andrew began to speak.

"I think we should just dump that bi-" Alyssa had cut in before he could finish.

"Andrew, we're not just gonna abandon someone. Even if, yes, they are a bitch." At this, I look behind me, and Cyrus was looking at me. Even with his helmet, I could tell that he was sad. They didn't care what the Queen had said. Or maybe I was wrong, had they even cared about my transmission? Either way, they weren't as mad now, which made everything better. I quickly change the subject.

"I said we should forget her guys. So what do you wanna do first? A few jobs? Explore? Just kill some baddies?" After a bit of discussion, Andrew declared their choice, using as most authority as he could, and sounding like those old machines we found in ancient museums that narrated what you saw.

"With the help of my compatriots here, we have come to the decision to kill some Fallen, or Hive, or Vex, or any alien bastard that shows it's face!" I grin, and I can tell than my friends are too. As we turn the corner, a group, almost an army, of Vex, stand in their neat rows, bowing down to an enormous machine.

"This was Times Square," explains my Ghost, "it was a major hub if human activity before the Traveller arrived. We dismounted our Sparrows, slowly creeping towards the giant swarm of enemies. As we made our approach, Jagger made one simple statement that drove us into a blood rage state.

"Ooooh, this is gonna be fun."

Suddenly, all stealth and planning was out the window, I lobbed an Arc Lightning grenade, the chains of electricity jumping between the robotic enemies, frying six of them, destroying their systems. Using her powers for a huge lift into the air, Alyssa shot a rocket into the middle of the Vex, machine debris and gravel flying into the air. I grin as I open fire into the crowd with my Auto Rifle, the weapon that destroyed their god, mowing down the ones that worshipped him. Just before my sight slipped into tunnel vision, I saw Cyrus focus his Solar power into his hand cannon, his Golden Gun power activating. He fired three quick shots in different directions, the destroyed targets exploding like a Solar grenade. I yelled bloody murder as I shot more enemies down, Blinking through the crowd, shooting anything that I could see. I leaped into the air, using my power for an extra round of lift. Atheon's Epilogue disappeared from my hands, replaced by Gjallahorn. The powerful weapon roared as I fired two shots, the missiles curving towards the Minotaurs, blasting anything in a ten foot radius, to bits. I landed on a Harpy, Epilogue returning to my hand. I aimed just past the robot's head, leaning to move it as I riddled the Vex below me, soon growing bored and back flipping off of the small weapon, leaving an Chain Lightning grenade behind. The floating machine over charged with the immense energy, than exploded, sending out more bolts of lightning. A I landed, I drew my knife, focusing all of my Arc energy into my body and blade, than releasing it, the energy coursing through me and my weapon. I leaped into the fray, tearing through the Vex machines with my blade, electricity damaging others that got too close. I leaped in the air and sunk my blade into the head of a Minotaur, and unable to get it free, I focused a blast of lightning from my hands, directly into it. It crackled with electricity, spasms wracking it's body and shaking me around, strong bolts of Arc energy striking any approaching enemies. I didn't have the time or desire to see what my friends were doing, I saw the occasional explosion of Void energy, and maybe a flame blossoming from a group of enemies, but I isn't care. I tried again to yank my knife out of the crackling Minotaur, but I was still unable to retrieve my knife. I soon have up, and turned to attacking the time-traveling robots with my bare hands, simply frying their insides with controlled bursts of energy. But I only killed a few more of the Vex before my energy ran dry, and I returned to my normally state. I had wasted to much time on the Minotaur, and I hadn't killed enough. I looked up, realizing that their wasn't an enemy in sight. After the blood rage was gone, I realized that I was gasping for breath, grinning like a madman under my helmet. I heard my team cheering through the comms, and I joined in. What a rush, my vision was like I was looking through a tube, I was jumpy from the adrenaline rush. Holy crap.

"Ghost, how long were we fighting?"

"Almost twenty minutes. Felix, you are not in a good way. The pressure you went through caused harm to your body, and the shots you took without a thought didn't help either."

"Whatever, just fix me up, I'll be fine." I shook my head, never mind the injuries, there was no way it had only been twenty minutes, it had felt like forever. But at the same time, it felt like it happened faster than I could blink. That's the strangest part about war, it feels like forever, but after, it felt like no time at all had passed. I look around me, at my friends, at myself. The area was covered in machine parts, glowing white oil, burns and holes left by explosives. I was covered in the same oil, and I knew how tired I really was. But for now, the rush made me feel like I would never die, like I was more alive than I had ever been, and it would be like this forever. But as an experienced warrior, I wasn't naive, I knew better. That feeling stayed for a few minutes after it ended, only to be replaced by exhaustion. I began to walk towards the giant machine, another thing that the Vex worshipped. My fireteam joined me, standing behind me, weapons at the ready, aiming at the... Whatever it was. It was huge, maybe four stories tall, and as wide as a bus at the widest point. It got thinner as you went up, ending in antennae. Lights and what looked like tubes of the glowing oil ran along the outsides. As the entire thing was supported on four huge legs, all about seven feet by seven feet.

"Ghost, what the hell is it?" I inquired. Despite all my experience with the Vex, I had never seen anything like this.

"I don't have any files, I think that you five, just discovered a new threat made by the Vex." Jagger laughs sarcastically.

"Great! If more of these show up, we're doomed! We all nearly died! My Ghost said so. We only survived because there were five of us, and there aren't that many Guardians. If the Vex deploy this sort of machine in the City, I don't know if we could stop them." Jagger became serious, considering all the possible ways that this machine could be our downfall. His words rattled me, what I had thought was another stupid machine, could really end with is being wiped out? No. That couldn't be right.

"Don't be paranoid, we know what they are now. We should report it to the Vanguard, it could be valuable info." We all nod in agreement, Cyrus looked quite shaken though. It was a battle, he never took those too well. As we turned to leave, a huge noise, emanating from the machine, filled the air, shaking the ground. A blinding light came from it, my visor darkening automatically to block out the light, but it got to the point where I had to use my arms to block the light. With the light came heat, the concrete beneath the towering structure began to bubble, turning to lava. But suddenly, it was all gone. I lowered my arms.

"Everyone alright?" Andrew nodded, and Cyrus gave me a quick thumbs up.

"I'm fine." Said Alyssa, tilting her head at me.

"So am I, if not a little worried," continued Jagger, "we need to get to the Tower. Now." I sigh, nodding.

"Great, now we have the mystery of the giant Vex thing. AND, the task to rebuild a kingdom. Great! Next, let's go try to freeze the Sun!" I chuckle, shaking my head as I summon my Sparrow with my friends, tearing down the road, back to our ships. If only we had looked back, if only. That white-hot lava may have made us look again at how it glowed...

Thanks again for reading my story guys! I really appreciate it, and please, send any kind of feedback, good or bad. Also, tell me who you want in a relationship, etc. etc. But really, I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it (hopefully) and I hope you continue to read. And please recommend the story to people please.

Last note, I don't feel like this chapter is my best, I've never been any good at describing combat, and I'm working on it. But also, all in all, it felt rushed. I had the idea when I was going to bed, so I wrote, but I'm tired, so I'm sorry if it wasn't my best.

Keep on reading, and good night.


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